Entire day Swara was upset due to some reason, she didn’t talk much with anybody not even her mother….. most of the time she was in her room. Surprisingly Sharmishtha also not much bothered about her behavior, the mother who could sense her state with her one look didn’t notice anything today….. she was lost in her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door, with an unhappy face she turned around….
“Shona di” Siya called her….
Swara: (sadly) Yes dear…..
Siya: (came up to her) I want to play, will you come with me in garden….
Swara: (hesitant) Siya, it’s soon going to be dark…. We will play tomorrow ok…
Siya: (pleading eyes) nobody is playing with me… Ananad Bhaiya is also busy in some work…..please just for some time….
Swara didn’t want to disappoint the little kid “Ok, come…. But just half an hour” she said holding her hand
Siya: (jumping) thank you di…..
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Evening, lawn….

It was a winter evening, the air was little cold but not harsh, and sky was dark…. Swara puzzled as she reached there, holding Siya’s hand….. there was complete darkness, no lights at all….
Swara: (confused) what happened to lights? It’s so dark here……
As she moved ahead with small and steady steps…. She felt someone’s touch on her face, precisely on her eyes as some unknown hands were on her eyes…. She baffled initially on the touch but then as she touched the hands, it feels familiar…..
“Who is this? please tell me” she said anxiously
“Happy birthday di” the voice came…..
Recognizing the voice, she delighted and turned around quickly…. The lights were on now…. As she looked the person the tears of happiness brimmed in her eyes…. She quickly took him in a tight hug
“Ashu!! You are here or I am dreaming?” she said in astonishment
Ashu: (smiling) well it’s your birthday today, how could I miss it……
Swara: you remember, I thought like Ma you also forgot…..
Ashu: Ma can never forget your birthday….
Swara: (puzzled) then why she didn’t wish me?
Looking at Swara’s puzzled face, he smiled while making her turn to other side…… she was stunned to look at the sight in front of her….. all were there, entire Maheshwari family, her mother and Surprisingly Bushra and Sanjeet….. Smiling at her…..
Laksh: (shouted) Swara, are going to stay like that forever?
She came back to her senses with his shrilling voice…. Ashu and Siya brought her in the middle where all were waiting for her with a small cake placed in the middle of a table…..
Annapurna: (kissed her forehead) Happy birthday dear….
Sanjeet: (smiles) So, how do you like the Surprise?
Swara: I am totally speechless, what could I say….
Sanjeet: happy birthday princess…..
All wished her one by one, Ragini, Bushra, Laksh, Sujata, Ram….
Sharmishtha: (kissing her cheek) Happy birthday Shona….
Swara: Ma, you knew all this, the surprise thing? I thought you forgot…
Sharmishtha: how could I forget this dear, you don’t know how difficult it is for me to hold myself
Siya: (irritated) when will my turn come?
All laughed at her frowning face… “oh, my ladoo… sorry for being rude to you, come here… now Your Shona di is all yours” Annapurna said with a smile
Siya: (kissing Swara’s cheek) Happy Birthday di…
Swara: thank you dear….
Laksh: (smirk) what do you think? only you are good at planning…. We Maheshwaries excel in everything.
Swara: thank you so much Laksh, you did all this for me!!
Laksh: No dear, it’s not me, it was bhai’s planning…. We just accompanied him
Swara was in shock to know about the planner, she looked at Laksh in disbelief….
“Yes Shona di dad did all this, I told you about the secret in the morning…. This was the secret” Siya revealed
Swara was searching for him but surprisingly he wasn’t there, disappointed with his absence on her special evening she looked around….
Laksh: (reading Swara’s face) I don’t know why he is not here, it was his planning and he is missing…
“I am not missing, I am here” Sanskar replied as he stepped towards the lawn….
Ragini: where were you Sanskar?
Sanskar: I was on an important call…
Siya: dad, please stop talking…. Shona di cut the cake, it looks so yummy….
With a broad smile on her face she blew the candles followed by cake cutting….. She gave first bite to Siya and Ashu, the impatient ones….
Later everyone got busy in talking, she took blessing of all the elders and received gifts from them…. Siya gifted her a beautiful Sketch of hers, she made it by herself….. for Swara it was one of the best gift she ever received….. the birthday she was cursing since morning as worst ever turned out the best…… full of pleasant surprises, Her family was there with her….. the every important person of her life was present there….. Her eyes searched for the person who made all this possible…. He was standing there with Laksh little far from them…. she looked at him with loving eyes….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Laksh: I hope you are prepared, please don’t miss it today….
Sanskar: (annoyed) Lucky I am already nervous…. Please don’t irritate me
Laksh: I don’t understand why you are so scared, where is that confident businessman I know?
Sanskar: it’s not Business my brother, it’s about my life….
Laksh: just go and say it, well today she is already impressed because of your surprise…. I am sure she will easily accept, after all you did so much for her…
Sanskar: it’s nothing in comparison with what she did for Siya, in return I want to fix every single misery of her life….
Swara heard his sympathetic words as she came there to thank him for today…. She didn’t feel good about his sympathy for her….. But ignoring that feeling, she moved closer….
Laksh: (noticing Swara) oh, the birthday girl is here…..
Sanskar turned to look at her…..
Laksh: (teasingly) Swara, you have crossed your sweet sixteen or not?
She gave him a displeased smile on his teasing words….
Laksh: (looking at Sanskar) Ok guys, I have to make an important call…. You carry on
With his usual charming smile he left from there, leaving them alone…. There was an awkward silence between them like always…. She looked at him with gratified eyes, overwhelmed with his gesture…. He was little nervous….
Swara: (to herself) he didn’t wish me!!!
Sanskar: Happy birthday Swara…..
Swara: (smile) thank you…..
“Shona di come, we all are going inside” Ashwin shouted from distance…. She turned to go back but he stopped him….
“Swara wait, I want to talk to you….. Would you like to have a walk?” he said with his eyes fixed on her…. she nodded, and soon they were alone in the lawn….
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

For past fifteen minutes they were just walking in the lawn aimlessly, neither of them spoke a word but still they were enjoying it….

Swara: (to herself) he said, he wants to talk then why is not saying anything now?
Sanskar: (to himself) I don’t understand how some people have the courage to express their love so freely to their girl when I took almost 15 minutes to ask her for a walk with me
Swara: (to herself) what he wants to talk? Anything serious!!
Sanskar: (to himself) but I have to do it today, it’s now or never…..
Swara: thank you so much for today, what you did really means a lot for me….
Sanskar: (staring her) you like it?
Swara: I love it…. I never expected you to be so good at planning surprises….
Sanskar: you always underrate me, right!!
Swara: that’s not true, it’s just that you never indulge in such things, you are….
She was searching for an apt word to describe him properly but he interrupted in the middle…..
“Dull and boring” he completed looking at her…..
Swara: (disappointed) I wasn’t going to say that….. now who is underrating?
He didn’t say anything, just stared her with a smile……
Swara: (serious tone) you know my Baba always used to come up with such surprises…… he was master of planning, after dad I thought I would never be able to celebrate my birthday, the day means nothing without his presence in it….. but you proved me wrong, I could have never asked for a better day…… Though I am missing Baba’s presence but I do have reasons to smile……
Sanskar: I know, no one can fill a father’s place in our life…. But I believe our loved once never leave, they are always around us to care, to guide…..
She smiled with her little moist eyes…..
Sanskar: (to himself) Swara, I know you have suffered a lot…..just give me a chance I promise I will fill your life with happiness….
He took out a small box from his pocket and forwarded it to her “This is for you”. She was little surprised as she never expected a gift from him…. Hesitantly she raised her hand with bemused expression on her face…. It was a small box, neatly wrapped in a gift paper….
“Open it” he asked her softly, being curious she quickly unwrapped it
“What!! Why he gifted me this? Who gives such gift on birthday? Oh god, he knows nothing about all this….. he gave me a ring!!” she was busy in her own thoughts when he called …..
“Swara” he said in hushed tone with his intense gaze fixed on her….
“Swara I want you in my life, forever…… will you marry me?” he scripted so much for this moment since morning, imagined this for thousand times but in real this is all he managed to speak….
—————————————————————————————————————————————

🙂 you’ve portrayed such a lovely gesture, such an elation….
plot fits the right timing, full of emotional hesitations, I’m curious as how these entangled feelings will find their way around, I really enjoy this story, my gratitude for writing a simple yet intriguing story…………
You keep writing and tc 🙂

It’s so lovely Bhumija..
I thought Swara upset because she’s missing Ashu.. But it’s her birthday.. So it’s totally surprise for us also.. And love that sweet family moment..
But as always, the best part was Swasan scene.. You described Sanskar anxiety, eagerness so beautifully..
Hope there’ll be no confusion.. Hope Swara didn’t misunderstand his love as a sympathy.. 😦😦